What Are Deployment Slots in Azure Devops?

If you are a developer or an IT professional who is working with Azure DevOps, then you must have come across the term ‘deployment slots.’ Whether you are new to this or an experienced user, it is essential to understand what deployment slots in Azure DevOps are and how they can help you in your development process. In this tutorial, we will cover everything that you need to know about deployment slots.

What Are Deployment Slots?

 Exclusive Slots & Free Spins Offers: 

Deployment slots are a feature of Azure App Service that allows developers to deploy their applications to different environments before releasing them to production. These environments can be used for testing, staging, or other purposes. Each slot represents a separate instance of the application, which means that it has its own URL and configuration settings.

Why Deploy To Multiple Environments?

Deploying applications to multiple environments is essential for many reasons. Firstly, it provides a way for developers to test their applications in a production-like environment without affecting the live site.

Secondly, it allows for easy rollback if there are any issues with the deployment. Finally, it enables developers to stage their application changes before releasing them to production.

How Do Deployment Slots Work?

Deployment slots work by creating a separate instance of your application within your existing App Service plan. This instance runs alongside your main application and can be configured independently of the primary app.

When deploying an application update or new code changes using Azure DevOps pipelines, you can choose which slot you want the changes applied to before pushing them out into production. This allows you to test your changes in an environment that simulates production without impacting actual users.

Benefits Of Using Deployment Slots

There are several benefits of using deployment slots in Azure DevOps:

  • Ease Of Deployment: Deployment slots make it easy for developers and IT professionals to deploy updates and test new features without affecting the live site.
  • Easy Rollback: If there are any issues with the deployment, it is easy to rollback to a previous version of the application.
  • Improved Testing: Deployment slots allow for better testing of applications in a production-like environment before releasing them to production.
  • Increased Visibility: Deployment slots provide increased visibility into the deployment process, making it easier to troubleshoot any issues that arise during the deployment process.

Deployment Slot Settings

When creating a deployment slot, you can configure various settings such as:

  • Slot Name: The name of the slot (e.g., staging or test).
  • Pricing Tier: The pricing tier for the slot.
  • Auto Swap: Whether or not to enable automatic swapping between slots.
  • Certificates: Any certificates required by your application.
  • Application Settings: Configurations specific to your application, such as connection strings and app settings.

Azure DevOps Pipelines And Deployment Slots

Azure DevOps pipelines support deploying applications to deployment slots. When configuring your pipeline, you can specify which slot you want your changes applied to.

To deploy an application using Azure DevOps pipelines:

  1. Create a new release pipeline in Azure DevOps
  2. Add an ‘Azure App Service Deploy’ task to your pipeline
  3. Select the appropriate subscription and App Service name
  4. Select the deployment slot that you want to deploy your application update to
  5. Select any additional configuration settings (e., app settings or connection strings)
  6. Kick off the pipeline and wait for the changes to be applied!

Conclusion

In conclusion, deployment slots are a powerful feature of Azure App Service that allows developers and IT professionals to deploy their applications to multiple environments before releasing them to production. With deployment slots, you can test your application changes in a production-like environment without affecting the live site.

Additionally, deployment slots provide increased visibility into the deployment process and allow for easy rollback if there are any issues with the deployment. Overall, deployment slots are an essential tool for anyone working with Azure DevOps and should be leveraged as part of your development process.